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Zoom's latest changes to prevent 'zoombombing' arrive on May 9th
Zoom has improved its admin controls and basic account security to further prevent 'zoombombing' from unwanted guests.
Anchor converts your video calls into podcasts
Spotify's Anchor is adding yet another way for people to more easily produce their own podcasts.
Why is video conferencing so exhausting?
If it’s not Google Meet with colleagues, it’s Zoom hangouts with friends and FaceTime with family. The issue is, online video interactions are fundamentally different from face-to-face ones.
Facebook takes on Zoom with 'Messenger Rooms'
Facebook introduced Messenger Rooms, a feature that makes the chat app much more like Zoom.
Zoom 5.0 update will bring much-needed security upgrades
Zoom has been under fire for its lax security, but the company hopes to address many of these concerns with Zoom 5.0.
WhatsApp trials video calls with up to eight people
WhatsApp is set to double the number of people that can take part in group video calls.
Verizon buys video conferencing app BlueJeans
With so many people working from home due to the coronavirus pandemic, Verizon is understandably trying to take advantage by buying a video conferencing platform.
Recommended Reading: Zoom's security struggles
During the last month, the company has drawn increasing scrutiny over its security practices from both the public and government officials. NBC News offers a look at the company’s current predicament in a chat with CEO Eric Yuan.
Zoom is now 'the Facebook of video apps'
A lot of us are wondering just how full of crap Zoom is. Acting like Facebook is already bad, even more so now that we’re all fighting for our lives.
Google Meet’s premium features are now free through Sept. 30th
Google Meet's premium features will now be available all summer.
Airbnb is taking its travel experiences online using Zoom
What do you when people can't travel? When you're Airbnb, the answer it turns out is to allow people to connect online.
Zoom forms security council and adds features to prevent 'zoombombing'
In addition, hosts will now have access to a security icon that has all of the app’s in-meeting security controls, including the ability to switch on Waiting Room.
School districts ban Zoom over security concerns
Concerns about Zoom's security are having a real impact on its use in remote education. Some US school districts, including large ones like New York City and Nevada's Clark County, have banned or disabled Zoom over security and privacy worries. Others, such as Washington state's Edmonds School District and Utah's Alpine School District, are rethinking their policies on Zoom use. And unsurprisingly, both are either switching apps or considering it, such as NYC teachers moving to Microsoft Teams.
Zoom will enable waiting rooms by default to keep trolls out
Zoom will make a couple of important security changes in an effort to prevent trolls from crashing shared video calls on the app. To be exact, it will require passwords to enter calls and will switch on waiting rooms by default starting on April 5th. The platform's explosive growth due to COVID-19 brought its security shortcomings into stark relief, and one of the biggest issues its users have to deal with is bad actors entering calls uninvited. According to TechCrunch, people "Zoombombing" calls usually go around guessing meeting IDs and then blasting participants with offensive imagery or just shouting profanities and slurs.
Skype rolls out 'Meet Now' calls that don't need a sign-up or installation
With people forced out of their offices and schools to avoid spreading coronavirus, there are more video calls going on than ever. However, a significant chunk of the action has gone to Zoom, and not Skype, Microsoft's product that has been at the center of online voice and video chats since well before smartphones were commonplace. That's mostly because Zoom has made sharing meetings and the necessary software so easy -- perhaps too easy, with some security and privacy compromises -- but Skype is finally ready to fight back with "Meet Now." With Meet Now, hosts can create and share a free meeting with just three clicks, according to the company. Even the host doesn't need to have Skype installed -- you can start the process from its website right here -- and then invite people either using a simple link or the share button. If the person you're inviting has Skype installed then it will open the app directly to the call, and if not then it will open the web client that works in Chrome or Edge. Zoom has already made some changes and pledged more to address its issues -- we'll see if this setup helps Skype claw back any users who've already gotten used to using competitor's software for their meetings.
Zoom vows to win back user trust with extensive security review
Zoom has promised to deal with privacy issues exposed by consumers and security experts since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. In a blog post, Zoom CEO Eric S. Yuan said the company will dedicate all of its engineering resources to fixing its "biggest trust, safety, and privacy issues." The work will include a "comprehensive review" with third-party experts to "understand and ensure the security of all of our new consumer use cases."
Slack adds Microsoft Teams video call options
More of us than ever are relying on video calling apps to chat with friends, family and colleagues. Slack, for example, has seen a huge increase in calls made and received through its app in the last month amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Starting today, the app will give you more options. For instance, you can now hop into a Microsoft Teams call directly from the productivity app, which said last week it was working on such an option.
Wyze security cameras can now double as work-from-home webcams
Group video chat software like Zoom, Skype and Google Duo let people connect and work during the coronavirus lockdown, but what if you don't have a webcam? Wyze has unveiled a new option by letting you transform your Wyze Cam v2 or Wyze Pan security cameras into webcams, as spotted by Zatz Not Funny.
The surveillance profiteers of COVID-19 are here
Our worlds are so upside-down and backwards right now that Wired claims Surveillance Could Save Lives Amid a Public Health Crisis, and privacy activist Maciej Cegłowski flat-out stated We Need A Massive Surveillance Program.
Oman lifts restrictions on secure video chats
In an effort to help businesses and schools function remotely, Oman is lifting restrictions on some video calling services. Its Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) tweeted that it will allow Skype for Business, Google Meet and Zoom, so that organizations can better communicate "during this exceptional period."
